Aro Expedition and Establishment of Native Councils Throughout the Interior

In 1901–2 the British launched the first serious military expedition into the interior of the Eastern Provinces, specifically against the Aro, a clan whose population was estimated at about five thousand in 1901. To field the Aro Field Force the government had to borrow troops from Northern Nigeria and Lagos and considered getting troops from Sierra Leone and British Central Africa. Immediately after the expedition Sir Ralph Moor reported to the colonial secretary that 'immediate action is being taken to establish Native Councils at suitable centres throughout the whole of these territories in order that there may be an immediate means provided for the natives to settle their disputes and difficulties.'